Sen. Robert Menendez urges vote on Hurricane Sandy aid

Senator Robert Menendez called Hurricane Sandy the the largest mass transit disaster in the nation’s history. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Hours before the 112th Congress will culminate its session, a key Hispanic lawmaker in the Senate wasted no time calling out the House for failing to schedule a vote on the Hurricane Sandy relief package.

Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who is seen as a key Democratic figure in the Senate, directly criticized House Republican leaders for not scheduling a vote on relief aid that was aimed at providing $60 billion to areas devastated from the Hurricane’s lingering effects.

The Senate passed its own version of a bill that would boost aid to Sandy victims on December 28. House Republicans indicated that some of that money would be misallocated including funds that would be designated to projects that were unrelated to the damage.

While Republican leaders including Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) have stated that they are committed to passing Sandy’s relief aid, Sen. Menendez was no less forgiving.

“The House Republican Leadership told New Jersey and New York to drop dead,” according to a statement released on the Senator’s Facebook page. Other Congressional members from New Jersey in both sides of the aisle also expressed frustration.

“The Senate voted to provide a reasonable relief package to the stricken region, which is struggling to get back on its feet, but the indifference of the House callously jeopardizes peoples’ well-being,” stated Menendez.

Although the Senate already passed a Sandy aid relief package earlier during the Congressional session, the legislation would not be carried over into the new session. Lawmakers are required to reintroduce it. The storm left thousands without electricity and flooded homes throughout the East Coast with the primary residents in New York City and New Jersey.

The New Jersey Senator is now calling on his Republican colleagues to pursue passage of the relief aid package with the few hours that are left of the 112th Congress. According to reports, a meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. with House leaders to discuss Sandy aid legislation.